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Tuition Assistance — External Opportunity

Families are encouraged to visit the North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority website to apply for the NC Opportunity Scholarship. This scholarship provides tuition assistance of up to $7,468 per year for awarded students who enroll in a participating nonpublic school.

Application to the program opens February 1. The Priority Consideration window closes March 1. Application dates will remain open until August 31 for students to be considered for the full 2024-25 school year, as funds remain available.

Because the scholarship money is awarded independent of the nonpublic school you choose, students do not have to apply to Grace Academy or be enrolled in Grace Academy prior to applying for the scholarship. For this reason, parents are encouraged to apply for the scholarship by March 1 before the priority consideration window closes.

 

Tuition Assistance — Internal Opportunity

Tuition Assistance is available from Grace Academy to current families who demonstrate a financial need to continue their child's education at the school. Current families desiring to enroll a new student may also be granted consideration for the additional sibling. Families must first apply for the NC Opportunity Scholarship before applying for internal tuition assistance.

Awards are made toward the full Classical Curriculum Tuition, but not Extended Learning. You may be enrolled in Extended Learning, but that part of your tuition is not available to be considered for financial assistance. No full-tuition awards are made.

Funding is not presently available for new students; first-time enrolling families must be prepared to cover the full cost.

Returning faculty members with first-time enrolling children are eligible to apply for tuition assistance in accordance with the guidelines and process explained below.

Applications for tuition assistance are evaluated by an outside agency, FAST (Financial Aid for School Tuition) by Independent School Management (ISM), and kept in the strictest of confidence. Applications must be received by May 31.

Application Guidelines & Process

  1. Read the FAST Aid Parent User Guide and gather all financial records before beginning the application.
  2. Visit the Grace Academy FAST webpage.
  3. Click on “Start Application” for general instructions.
  4. Click on “Get Started”.  
  5. Select your type of household and then follow the prompts to create an account with a username and password.
  6. Enter the requested information. The estimated time to complete the application is 30-45 minutes.
  7. If needed, be sure to complete the space for additional information that may be pertinent to your application.
  8. When finished, tax return and other supporting documents should be mailed directly to FAST to be received by the school deadline.  
  9. Contact a FAST customer service representative at 877-326-3278 if you need additional help.
  10. Once completed, the application will be available immediately for review by the Financial Manager, who may contact you if additional information is needed.
  11. When all information is in the system from all families, the Grace Academy Board of Directors will review the needs of each family as determined by the FAST organization and make a decision as to the level of award. Family needs are presented to the Board without names, so your information is kept completely confidential.
  12. The Financial Manager will then communicate the Board approved amount to you.